Shoe Having Elastic Tongue-Securing Straps

ABSTRACT

Provided are, among other things, shoes having elastic tongue-securing straps. In one representative embodiment, a shoe includes: (a) a sole; (b) an upper, extending above the sole, that includes a front section, a left side, a right side, a rear section, and a tongue that originates from the front section and extends rearwardly between the left side and the right side; (c) a left elastic strap that extends from a left side of the tongue and: (1) extends through a loop that is securely attached to the left side of the upper and has a distal end securely attached to the sole, and/or (2) has its distal end securely attached to the left side of the upper; and (d) a right elastic strap that extends from a right side of the tongue and: (1) extends through a loop that is securely attached to the right side of the upper and has a distal end securely attached to the sole, and/or (2) has its distal end securely attached to the right side of the upper, with the left elastic strap having a proximal end fixedly attached to the left side of the tongue and the right elastic strap having a proximal end fixedly attached to the right side of the tongue.

The present application is a continuation in part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/499,130, filed Sep. 27, 2014 (U.S. Pat. No.9,131,751), which in turn is a division of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 13/107,180, filed May 13, 2011 (U.S. Pat. No. 8,869,432). Theforegoing applications are incorporated by reference herein as thoughset forth herein in full.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to shoes, such as casual shoes and othertypes of footwear.

BACKGROUND

A variety of different shoe styles exist. However, improvements in shoedesigns remain continuously desirable. For example, certain consumersare always looking for unique combinations of aesthetics andfunctionality in their footwear.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses these needs by providing shoes in whicha plurality of elastic straps secure the shoe's tongue to other portionsof the shoe's structure, thereby facilitating ease-of-use, as well asenabling additional shoe styles and additional ways to wearconventional-looking shoes.

Thus, one embodiment of the invention is directed to a shoe thatincludes: (a) a sole; (b) an upper, extending above the sole, thatincludes a front section, a left side, a right side, a rear section, anda tongue that originates from the front section and extends rearwardlybetween the left side and the right side; (c) a left elastic strap thatextends from a left side of the tongue and: (1) extends through a loopthat is securely attached to the left side of the upper and has a distalend securely attached to the sole, and/or (2) has its distal endsecurely attached to the left side of the upper; and (d) a right elasticstrap that extends from a right side of the tongue and: (1) extendsthrough a loop that is securely attached to the right side of the upperand has a distal end securely attached to the sole, and/or (2) has itsdistal end securely attached to the right side of the upper, with theleft elastic strap having a proximal end fixedly attached to the leftside of the tongue and the right elastic strap having a proximal endfixedly attached to the right side of the tongue.

The foregoing summary is intended merely to provide a brief descriptionof certain aspects of the invention. A more complete understanding ofthe invention can be obtained by referring to the claims and thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiments inconnection with the accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following disclosure, the invention is described with referenceto the attached drawings. However, it should be understood that thedrawings merely depict certain representative and/or exemplaryembodiments and features of the present invention and are not intendedto limit the scope of the invention in any manner. The following is abrief description of each of the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a shoe according to a firstrepresentative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a shoe according to the firstrepresentative embodiment of the present invention, taken across thecutline shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of a shoe according to asecond representative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a shoe according to the secondrepresentative embodiment of the present invention, taken across thecutline shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of a shoe according to a thirdrepresentative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a shoe according to the thirdrepresentative embodiment of the present invention, taken across thecorresponding cutline shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a portion of the right side of an upper,together with an attached loop and a strap passing through the loop,according to the third representative embodiment of the presentinvention, taken across the corresponding cutline shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a portion of a shoe according to afourth representative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a shoe according to the fourthrepresentative embodiment of the present invention, taken across thecutline shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a portion of a shoe according to afifth representative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a shoe according to the fifthrepresentative embodiment of the present invention, taken across thecutline shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of a piece of composite material thatincludes a plurality of elastic straps that are joined together using adifferent kind of material, e.g., to facilitate attachment of suchelastic straps to different portions of a shoe.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a shoe according to a sixthrepresentative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a shoe according to a seventhrepresentative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a shoe according to a eighthrepresentative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a shoe according to a ninthrepresentative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a shoe according to a tenthrepresentative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a shoe according to an eleventhrepresentative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a shoe according to a twelfthrepresentative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a shoe tongue according to a variationon the twelfth representative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a shoe according to a thirteenthrepresentative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a shoe according to a fourteenthrepresentative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a portion of a shoe that employs alatching mechanism for tightening laces according to a modified versionof the fourteenth representative embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

In the preferred embodiments, the present invention concerns a shoehaving one or more elastic straps that are securely (and, morepreferably, fixedly) attached to each side of the shoe's tongue at theirproximal ends and securely attached to a different portion of the shoeat their distal ends. As used herein, the expression “fixedly attached”means incapable of translational movement relative to each other at theattachment point, and the expression “securely attached” means notreadily detachable.

The following paragraphs and attached drawings discuss and illustratecertain specific representative embodiments of the present invention.These embodiments generally pertain to a casual shoe, such as a low-topcanvas sneaker. However, the structures of the present invention can beused in conjunction with any other kind of shoe or other item offootwear (collectively referred to as “shoes” herein). Although theattached drawings more clearly illustrate the elastic strap(s) on theright side of the shoe for each of these specifically describedembodiments, in the preferred embodiments the configuration of theleft-side elastic strap(s) is at least approximately a mirror image ofthe configuration of the right-side elastic strap(s) (or at least issimilar, although reversed, as compared to the right-sideconfiguration).

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a shoe 10 according to a first representativeembodiment of the present invention. As shown, shoe 10 includes a sole12 and an upper 15. As with conventional shoes, sole 12 can be formed asa unitary piece or can include plural different layers that have beenbonded, molded and/or otherwise joined together. Such different layerscan include any or all of: a sock layer that makes contact with thewearer's foot, an insole immediately beneath the sock layer or formingthe inner surface of the sole 12 in the event that a sock layer is notprovided, an outsole that contacts the ground in ordinary use, and/or amidsole disposed between the insole and the outsole.

The upper 15 includes a rear section 17, a left side 18, a right side 20and a front section (not shown) to which a tongue 22 is attached. Aswith conventional shoes, tongue 22 extends rearwardly from the frontsection of the shoe's upper 15, between and somewhat underneath the leftside 18 and the right side 20. Each of left side 18 and right side 20preferably also includes a plurality of eyelets 24 (e.g., comprised ofplastic or metal grommets) through which shoelaces (not shown) may bethreaded.

Shoe 10 also includes a plurality of relatively thin elastic straps 26extending (preferably in an approximately parallel orientation to eachother) from each side of tongue 22 (preferably at an approximately rightangle to the tongue 22). In the present embodiment, the proximal end ofeach of such elastic straps 26 is fixedly attached to its correspondingside of the tongue, preferably along the outer one-third (⅓) or outerone-quarter (¼) of the tongue's width. More specifically, in the presentembodiment the proximal end of each of the elastic straps 26 is attachedto the underside of the tongue 22, e.g., through the use of stitching,adhesive material or any combination of the two. However, as discussedbelow and illustrated in the other drawings, in alternate embodiments,any of the elastic straps according to the present invention instead maybe attached to the top side or between layers of the tongue 22. Althoughfour elastic straps 26 are shown on each side of tongue 22 in FIG. 1,any other number instead may be used. In any event, such elastic straps26 preferably are distributed across the length of tongue 22, or atleast its rear half. In certain embodiments, use of plural elasticstraps (e.g., straps 26) along each side of tongue 22 can, in certainrespects, provide results that are similar to lacing.

In the present embodiment, the distal ends of the elastic straps 26 oneach side of the tongue 22 are securely attached to an elongatedattachment strip 28, e.g., through the use of stitching, adhesivematerial, one or more attachment joints (e.g., mechanical joints thatpermit rotation and/or pivoting), or any combination of the foregoing.In addition, e.g., elastic straps 26 may be attached to either side ofattachment strip 28 or may be attached between two layers that make upattachment strip 28. Preferably, attachment strip 28 also is relativelythin, elongated and elastic (although, more preferably, it is thicker,wider and/or otherwise provides greater elastic tension than elasticstraps 26), but is oriented at an approximately right angle to theelastic straps 26 (i.e., parallel to the corresponding left side 18 orright side 20 of the shoe's upper 15). The bottom edge of attachmentstrip 28 preferably is securely attached to the shoe sole 12, e.g., bystitching and/or gluing it to the top surface of shoe sole 12 or byinserting it between adjacent layers of the sole 12 prior to attachingthem together. In addition, or instead, the top edge, bottom edge and/ormidsection of attachment strip 28, or any portion thereof, may besecurely attached to the corresponding left side 18 or right side 20 ofthe shoe's upper 15. In any event, the use of an attachment strip (suchas attachment strip 28) according to the present invention often canprovide a kind of free-floating structure for the elastic straps (e.g.,straps 26).

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a shoe 40 according to an alternate embodimentof the present invention. Shoe 40 includes a plurality of elastic straps46 that extend from each side of the shoe's tongue 22 and attach to anattachment strip 48. However, in the present embodiment, elastic straps46, although extending from different points along a respective side oftongue 22, converge and attach to attachment strip 48 at a single point.Otherwise, elastic straps 46 and the considerations pertaining to themmay be the same as for elastic straps 26, described above. Similarly,attachment strip 48 and the considerations pertaining to it may be thesame as for attachment strip 28, described above. Although only twoelastic straps 46 are shown in FIG. 3 extending from each side of tongue22, any other number instead may be used. For embodiments that includemore than two elastic straps 46 on each side of tongue 22, all of suchelastic straps 46 may converge to a single point, or subsets (e.g.,adjacent pairs) of the elastic straps 46 may converge to differentpoints (e.g., with multiple attachments strips 48, one for each suchpoint, or with a single elongated attachment strip 48). Finally, thetechniques, options and considerations for attaching the elastic straps46 and attachment strip 48 may be the same as those discussed above forelastic straps 26 and attachment strip 28, respectively. It is notedthat in this particular embodiment, elastic straps 46 are illustrated inFIG. 4 as being attached to the top side of tongue 22, although theycould instead be attached in any of the other ways described herein.

Another embodiment of a shoe 60 according to the present invention isillustrated in FIGS. 5-7. In shoe 60, an elastic strap 66 extends fromeach side of tongue 22 and through a loop 67 that itself preferably issecurely attached to the corresponding left side 18 or right side 20 ofthe shoe's upper 15 (preferably the top portion of such left side 18 orright side 20, near the eyelets 24, just beneath the tongue 22 and/or inthe upper two thirds or even in the upper one third of the distancebetween the shoe's sole 12 and the bottom edge of the tongue 22). Theproximal end of each such elastic strap 66 preferably is fixedlyattached to the corresponding side of tongue 22 (e.g., in any of theways described above for elastic straps 26), and the distal end of eachsuch elastic strap 66 preferably is securely attached to the shoe's sole12 (e.g., using stitching and/or adhesive material, and/or in any of theother ways described above for attaching attachment strip 28 to shoesole 12 or for attaching elastic straps 26 to attachment strip 28). Itis noted that elastic strap 66 is illustrated in FIG. 6 as beingattached to tongue 22 between adjacent layers that make up tongue 22, sothe elastic strap 66 extends from the middle of tongue 22; however, anyof the other attachment techniques described herein instead may be used.Although only a single elastic strap 66 and loop 67 is illustrated inthe drawings on each side of tongue 22, any other number instead may beused. Similarly, when using multiple elastic straps 66 on each side oftongue 22, each such elastic strap 66 may be provided with its own loop67, or a single elongated loop may be provided for multiple (e.g., all)elastic straps 66 on the same side of the tongue 22. In any event, inthe preferred embodiments loop 67 preferably is made of a thin, smooth,flexible fabric material, so as to not interfere with the wearer'scomfort, while simultaneously allowing its corresponding elasticstrap(s) 66 to easily slide through it.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate a further embodiment of a shoe 80 according tothe present invention. In this embodiment, shoe 80 includes a pluralityof elastic straps 86 extending from each side of the shoe's tongue 22.Elastic straps 86 (and the considerations pertaining to them) can besimilar or identical to elastic straps 26 that were described above, butrather than having their distal ends attached to an attachment strip (aswith shoe 10), the distal ends of elastic straps 86 instead preferablyare securely attached to the corresponding left side 18 or right side 20of the shoe's upper 15. Such attachment can be effected, e.g., usingstitching and/or adhesive material, and the point(s) at which some orall (i.e., at least one and, more preferably, a majority, all orsubstantially all) of such elastic straps 86 attach to left side 18 orright side 20 of the shoe's upper 15 preferably are in the upper twothirds or, more preferably, in the upper one third of the distancebetween the shoe's sole 12 and the bottom edge of the tongue 22.

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate a still further embodiment of a shoe 100according to the present invention. In this embodiment, on each side ofthe tongue 22 an elastic strap 106 preferably is fixedly attached to thetongue 22 at its proximal and preferably is securely attached to theshoe's sole 12 at its distal end. However, in alternate embodiments, theproximal and distal ends of each strap 106 may be attached in any of theother ways described herein. Also, any portion of any of the straps 106may be attached to the corresponding left side 18 or right side 20 ofthe shoe's upper 15. Although only a single wide elastic strap 106 isshown in FIG. 10 on each side of tongue 22, any other number of elasticstraps 106 instead can be used.

In certain embodiments discussed above, elements are described as beingattached to the left side 18 or right side 20 of the shoe's upper 15.Preferably, each such attachment is to the inner surface of such leftside 18 or right side 20.

In each of the embodiments described above, elastic straps are used topull or hold a shoe's tongue in a down (or at least lower) position. Incertain embodiments, the aggregate tension provided by such elasticstraps is strong enough (e.g., using a small number of wider and/orhigher-tension straps or a larger number of narrower and/or somewhatlower-tension straps) to hold the shoe onto the wearer's foot. As aresult, it can be possible for the wearer to slide his or her foot intothe shoe without tying the shoelaces, or even to wear the shoe withoutshoelaces at all. Not only does this approach provide for greaterconvenience, but it also can provide the wearer with a means to makedifferent kinds of fashion statements, e.g., wearing shoes with thelaces untied or wearing shoes that have lace-up eyelets 24 but no lacesthrough them.

Also, in some of the embodiments described above, plural elastic strapsextend from each side of the shoe's tongue 22. In these embodiments someor all of the adjacent individual elastic straps (on one or both sidesof the tongue 22) can be replaced by a single piece of material, such asa single piece of uniformly elastic material. Alternatively, suchadjacent individual elastic straps can be replaced by a single piece ofmaterial 120, as illustrated in FIG. 12, having plural straps of elasticmaterial 122 (e.g., arranged in a parallel or approximately parallelconfiguration) joined together with a different kind of material 124(e.g. a mesh-like material or other material having a lower-tensionelasticity). Optionally, material 120 also has stronger and/orreinforced strips 125 along its sides where the piece of material 120 isstitched or otherwise attached (e.g., along one edge 125, to the tongue22 and, along the other edge 125, to the corresponding left side 18 orright side 20 of the shoe's upper 15 or to the shoe's sole 12). Althoughshown in FIG. 12 as a rectangular piece, material 120 instead can beformed in any other shape, e.g., with edges that conform to the shape ofthe tongue 22 on one side and conform to the shape of the junctionbetween the sole 12 and corresponding left side 18 or right side 20 ofthe shoe's upper 15 on the other. In any event, using such a piece ofmaterial 120 often can facilitate assembly of the shoe when pluralelastic straps are desired on each side of the tongue 22.

Further Embodiments.

Another shoe 140 according to the present invention is illustrated inFIG. 13. As shown, shoe 140 includes a sole 142 and an upper 145. Upper145, in turn, includes a tongue 146 and one or more elastic lace(s) 147that extend over and across the tongue 146 from a left side 148 to aright side 149 (or vice versa) of the approximately U-shaped forefootopening in the upper 145 (under which the tongue 146 is disposed). Incertain embodiments, each illustrated segment of elastic lace 147 (suchas segment 147A) is in fact a separate segment of lace 147, extendingjust one time from left side 148 to right side 149 of the illustratedopening, and with its ends (e.g., lace end 150A) securely attached tothe corresponding left and right sides of the upper 145 (e.g., havingbeen stitched and/or glued at or near the edges of sides 148 and 149).In alternate embodiments, a single segment of elastic lace 147 (such aslace segment 147B) crosses over the tongue 146 two or more times, e.g.,with the elastic lace segment 147B looping around a static or rotatableelement 150B that is disposed inside of, or embedded within (e.g.,between layers of), the upper 145. Such an alternate configuration, inwhich a single segment of lace 147 crosses the tongue 146 (or, in thepresent embodiment, correspondingly, the forefoot opening above it)sometimes can allow for easier construction of the shoe 140,particularly when trying to adjust the elastic lace(s) 147 so as to havea desired amount of tension (e.g., when shoe 140 is in its defaultstate, as illustrated in FIG. 13). In addition, using a rotatablelooping element 150B often can reduce friction and, e.g., thereby allowa looped lace 147B to be more easily pulled into, and then subsequentlymaintained in, a more constant amount of tension throughout its entirelength.

Attaching flexible lace(s) 147 close to the edges of forefoot openingsides 148 and 149 often can provide for greater comfort and ease-of-useby avoiding having such lace(s) 147 extend for any significant distancewithin the interior of shoe 140, which could make it difficult for thewearer to properly insert his or her foot without interference from suchlace(s) 147 and/or could uncomfortably press against the wearer's footwhen the shoe 140 is being worn. Thus, in the present embodiments, thelace(s) 147 is/are attached, either fixedly (e.g., with respect to lace147A) or slidably (e.g., with respect to lace 147B) close to the edge(s)of forefoot opening side(s) 148 and 149, as applicable. More preferably,they are attached above the tongue 146 so that the tongue 146 acts as abarrier between the lace(s) 147 and the wearer's foot.

Another variation, which addresses such potential problems whilesimultaneously permitting the subject lace(s) 147 to be anchored closeto the base of the shoe 140, is to run the lace(s) 147 (e.g., lace 147C)between layers of the upper 145, e.g., starting at an opening 152 withinan inner layer of upper 145 (when upper 145 is constructed of plurallayers, i.e., at least one inner layer and one outer layer), withopening 152 preferably being close to the edge of the correspondingforefoot opening side 148 or 149. In this way, the lace(s) 147 can beslidably attached to upper 145 at their respective opening(s) (e.g.,opening 152), near the edges of forefoot opening sides 148 and 149, andalso can be fixedly attached to the upper 145 at a lower point (e.g.,closer to the sole 142) or else can even be fixedly attached to the sole142 itself. Still further, as shown in FIG. 13, any one or anycombination of these or other configurations (e.g., for routing and/orattaching laces 147) can be used within a single shoe 140, or even for asingle lace segment 147 (e.g., with one end fixedly attached close tothe edges of sides 148 and 149, a middle portion looped around anelement 150B, and its other end fed through an opening 152 in an innerwall of upper and then fixedly attached lower on the upper 145 or to thesole 142). In any event, in the current embodiment, the individualelastic laces 147 (or at least segments of laces 147) cross over eachother within the forefoot opening of the upper 145, as shown.

The lace(s) 147 discussed in the preceding embodiments represent onetype of elastic strap that can be used for securing an upper to awearer's foot. Generally speaking, lace(s) 147 will be relatively narrowand often tubular-shaped, often meaning that any contact with thewearer's foot will be somewhat noticeable, if not actuallyuncomfortable.

Partially to accommodate such contact, shoe 170, shown in FIG. 14instead uses a relatively wide, flat strap 177 (e.g., straps 177A-C,collectively referred to as straps 177 or sometimes individually as astrap 177). As shown, shoe 170 includes a sole 172, an upper 175 and atongue 176. Elastic straps 177 extend over and across the tongue 176from a left side 178 to a right side 179 of the approximately U-shapedforefoot opening in the upper 175, under which the tongue 176 isdisposed. After crossing such opening, in the current embodiment straps177 initially extend along the interior surface of the sidewall of upper175 and then passes through an opening 182, so as to run along theoutside of the sidewall of the upper 175 for a certain distance beforereentering the interior of the upper 175 (through another opening 182).This weaving out of and then back into the upper 175 can be repeated oneor more additional times before, e.g., a given strap 177 fixedlyattaches to the rest of the shoe 170 (e.g., by being stitched and/orglued to a lower portion of the upper 175, e.g., near the sole 172, oreven to the shoe's sole 172 itself). In the current embodiment,individual elastic straps 177 (or at least segments of such straps 177)cross over each other within the forefoot opening of the upper 175, asshown. Although not shown, a similar or identical structure to thatshown in FIG. 14 preferably is provided on the right side of the shoe170, with the strap(s) 177 partially extending along the interior of theupper 175 and partially extending along its exterior.

Certain benefits of such a structure include the ability to more fullysecure the upper 175 around the wearer's foot while simultaneouslyproviding a sufficient level of comfort and greater uniformity ofpressure on the wearer's foot (as compared to most conventional shoes inwhich all or almost all of the holding forces are provided across thetop of the wearer's foot. In certain more-specific embodiments, the mainbody of the upper 175 is made of a cloth, fabric or other highlyflexible and/or pliable material, which is able to more closely conformto the wearer's foot as a result of the tension provided by strap(s)177.

Similar to shoe 140, each of straps 177A-C can be implemented as asingle, discrete strap segment or, alternatively, an individual strap177 (such as strap 177B) can be looped back, e.g., around a static orrotatable looping element 180 (disposed on the outside of or, as shownin FIG. 14, within the interior of the shoe 170), so as to cross overthe tongue 176 two or more times. More preferably, any such loopingelement 180 is cylindrically shaped in order to accommodate the presentbroad, flat elastic straps 177 being used.

According to a still further embodiment, shoe 200, shown in FIG. 15,includes elastic laces 147 (or at least segments of laces 147) extendingover and across the shoe's tongue 206, similar to shoe 140 shown in FIG.13. However, in shoe 200 the laces 147 are woven inside and outside ofthe sidewalls of the shoe's upper 205 through openings 202, similar tothe manner in which the straps 177 (discussed above) are woven throughopenings 182 in the sidewalls of the upper 175 of shoe 170. In thepresent embodiment, cross-laces 207, which cross the laces 147 betweenadjacent pairs of such openings 202 exterior to the sidewall of theshoe's upper 205 (e.g., on the interior sides of such laces 147, ontheir exterior sides, or with some inside and some outside), in order tohelp anchor laces 147 and/or to provide a desired aesthetic effect. Inthe present embodiment, these cross-laces 207 are just short lacesegments (e.g., attached to the interior of the sidewall of upper 205and/or extending between layers of such sidewalls), e.g., just a littlelonger than necessary to traverse the corresponding openings 202.However, in alternate embodiments they can extend longer and even beextensions of other laces 147 (e.g., redirected by looping thecorresponding laces 147 around a looping structure disposed on theinterior of the upper 205).

According to a still further embodiment, shoe 220, shown in FIG. 16, issimilar to shoe 170, shown in FIG. 14, but instead of the straps 177crossing over each other, they run parallel (or approximately parallel)to each other when passing over tongue 176 (e.g., across the forefootopening) and when woven through openings (e.g., slits) 182 in thesidewalls of the upper 225 of shoe 220.

In the preceding embodiments discussed in relation to FIGS. 13-16, eachsubject shoe is illustrated as being a kind of sneaker or athletic shoe.However, such depictions should not be understood as limiting. Similarkinds of strap configurations can be applied to any other type of shoe.

For instance, shoe 240 (shown in FIG. 17) also involves a sequence ofelastic straps 177 (such as straps 177F&G) that extend from the sideedges of the tongue 241 and then are woven through openings 182 in thesidewall of the upper 245 of shoe 240. However, in this embodiment, shoe240 is of a loafer style and, rather than extending across a forefootopening, as in the previous embodiments, straps 177 attach to the tongue241 (more specifically, in the current embodiment, the side edges of thetongue 241) of shoe 240. In the present embodiment, straps 177 are sewnin between layers of material that make up tongue 241, and each extendsall the way from the left side of the shoe 240 to its right side.However, in alternate embodiments separate left-side and right-sidestraps (e.g., each attaching to the corresponding side of tongue 241)are used. In any event, as with some of the previous embodiments, straps177 are woven through openings 182, so as to partially run along theinside surface of the sidewalls of upper 245 and to partially run alongits outside surface, ultimately attaching to a position near the bottomof upper 245 or to the sole 242 (with some or all of such straps 177attaching on the inside and/or the outside of shoe 240).

FIG. 18 illustrates another shoe 260 in the loafer style. In thisembodiment, however, an elastic web 267 extends from each side edge(e.g., left edge 263) of the tongue 261. As shown, web 267 includes afirst set of elastic segments (typically parallel or at leastapproximately parallel to each other) oriented in one direction and asecond set of elastic segments (also, typically parallel or at leastapproximately parallel to each other) oriented in a second (e.g.,orthogonal) direction that together form a web or mesh-like structure.In the present embodiment, with reference to the left side of shoe 260(which is shown in FIG. 18), the segments in the first set attach at oneend to the left longitudinal edge 263 and at the other end to pointsalong the bottom of the sidewall of upper 265 and/or to points on sole262, and the segments in the second set attach at one end to the leftvertical (or approximately vertical) edge 264 of the toe cap 265A and atthe other end to the rearmost segment in the first set.

As depicted in FIG. 18, web 267 is disposed entirely on the outside ofthe upper 265, and there exists a gap between the toe cap 265A and therear portion 265B of the upper 265. However, in alternate embodimentsweb 267 is disposed entirely within upper 265 or partly inside of andpartly outside of upper 265 (e.g., using a weaving structure, asdiscussed above in connection with some of the previous embodiments),and/or rear portion 265B is extended so as to contact (e.g., attach to)toe cap 265A. Also, in the present embodiment web 267 consists only ofcrossing first and second segments, which collectively define a grid ofopenings. However, in alternate embodiments such segments are attachedto or embedded within an elastic sheet material, which can function as asupport substrate (e.g., with the first and second crossing segmentsproviding most of the strength and with the sheet material primarilyproviding a decorative or aesthetic effect, such as by covering theopenings that otherwise would exist in its absence).

Shoe 280 (shown in FIG. 19) is similar to shoe 220, discussed above, butrather than using flat elastic straps 177, shoe 280 instead uses plural(in this specific embodiment, three) sections (or strips) of elastic web267 (e.g., strips 267A&B), e.g., of the type of material discussed inthe immediately preceding embodiment. Also, shoe 280 has a lower upperthan shoe 220, although either style of shoe can be used in eitherembodiment, or in any of the other embodiments discussed herein, forthat matter. Similar to shoe 220, in the present embodiment, such stripsof web 267 cross over the top of the tongue 286 (e.g., across theforefoot opening) and then are woven inside and outside of the sidewallsof upper 285 through slits or openings 182.

In the immediately preceding embodiment, the strips of elastic web 267run across the top surface of the tongue 286. However, in a somewhatmodified variation on the preceding embodiment, as shown in FIG. 20,such strips instead either attach to or emerge from (e.g., forming acenter layer of the tongue 286) the side edge of the tongue 286.Otherwise, the configuration of shoe 280 can be the same in FIG. 20 asdepicted in FIG. 19.

A still further shoe 300 is illustrated in FIG. 21. As shown, similar tosome of the previous embodiments, shoe 300 also incorporates an elasticweb 267. However, in this embodiment the web 267 material is provided inthe shape of an “X”, with its crossing portion disposed over the top ofthe tongue 306 (within the forefoot opening), and with its extendingportions (two on each side) passing underneath a strip of material 308that borders the forefoot opening (in the present embodiment, a U-shaped strip 308, with a segment on each of the left and right sidesand an adjoining segment forward of the forefoot opening) and thenreemerging and running along the outside surface of the sidewall ofupper 305, ultimately attaching to the bottom portion of the upper 305or to the sole 302. Although the present configuration provides multipleanchor points for the X-shaped elastic web 267 (e.g., beneath strip 308and where the distal ends of the elastic web 267 attached to the upper305 or the shoe sole 302), in alternate embodiments other configurationsare used (e.g., with different sections inside of and/or outside of theupper 305).

In the foregoing embodiments, one or more (preferably multiple) elasticstraps or straps segments (e.g., in the form of laces 147, flat strips177 or a web 267) cross over the shoe's tongue and/or attach to it.Although the foregoing embodiments are preferred, any of the types ofstraps described above can be used in any of the configurationsdiscussed above.

A still further shoe 330 according to the present invention is shown inFIG. 22. Generally speaking, shoe 330 appears similar to conventionallace-up shoes, with a row of eyelets 332 on each side of the forefootopening under which the tongue 336 extends, and with a lace 337 (e.g.,having a circular cross-section) woven back and forth between sucheyelets 332 so that it crosses itself a plurality of times, e.g., in themanner of a conventional shoelace. Unlike a conventional shoe, however,lace 337 preferably is fixedly attached to the upper 335 of the shoe330, e.g., at or near the topmost eyelets (i.e., eyelet 332A and theopposite eyelet on the right side of the shoe 330). In the presentembodiment, lace 337 is stitched at position 339 on the interior of thesidewall of the upper 335, just prior to exiting through eyelet 332A,and then lace 337 just hangs loosely along the exterior of the sidewallof upper 335. This configuration provides the wearer with the carefreelook of not having tied the shoelace 337 and, in fact, is moreconvenient for the wearer because no tying is required. At the sametime, because lace 337 is elastic it can still secure the shoe 332 thewearer's foot and a still open up to accommodate insertion and removalof the wearer's foot.

In the foregoing embodiment, the lace 337 preferably is fixedly attachedto each side of the shoe 330 in a permanent manner (i.e., permanentrelative to ordinary everyday use, e.g., stitched). In a somewhatmodified version, shown in FIG. 23, rather than being fixedly attached.In such a permanent manner, lace 337 instead is fixedly attached to theupper 335 only when desired by the wearer (e.g., by default) but alsocan be slid relative to the upper 335 as and when desired by the wearer(e.g., without substantial effort). More specifically, in thisparticular variation a clamping mechanism 340 is attached to the upper335 just outside of each of the topmost eyelets (e.g., eyelet 332A). Bydefault, clamping mechanism 340 clamps onto the lace 337. However, bypressing spring-loaded release buttons 342, the clamping force isreleased so that lace 337 can freely slide, forward or backward, throughclamping mechanism 340.

In certain more-specific embodiments, the clamping surfaces on theinterior of mechanism 340 have angled teeth so that lace 337 is capableof being pulled outwardly even when the clamping force is being applied,and the clamping mechanism 340 is fixedly attached (e.g., stitchedand/or glued) to the upper 335. As a result of this configuration, theuser can tighten the laces simply by pulling on them, and then canloosen them by pressing buttons 342.

However, in still further variations, clamping mechanism 340 is simplyheld in place by the forces exerted by the lace 337 and the opposingsurface of the sidewall of the upper 335 (e.g., with clamping mechanism340 being larger than eyelet 332A). In even further variations, clampingmechanism 340 is disposed on the interior surface of the sidewall of theupper 335 (e.g., and fixedly attached to such surface). Also, althoughelastic laces 337 are preferred in the present embodiment, non-elasticlaces also can be used in conjunction with the present clampingmechanism 340 (e.g., because clamping mechanism 340 can provide a simplemethod to increase and/or release tension in the lace 337, rather thanrelying on elastic forces).

It is noted that each of FIGS. 14-23 mainly show the left side of aparticular shoe. Preferably, for each such embodiment, the right side ofthe shoe is substantially the mirror image of the right side, or atleast has the same kind of structures (e.g., the same kinds ofinteractions between the straps and the shoe's upper) as depicted forthe subject shoe's left side.

In the foregoing embodiments, elastic straps are used. However, asdiscussed above, the present invention also provides additional features(e.g., looping elements and/or tensioning elements) that can be used inconjunction with non-elastic straps, as will be readily apparent tothose skilled in the art.

Also, in some of the foregoing embodiments different types of strapspartially extend along the outside of the sidewall of the shoe's upper,between adjacent slits in the upper. In a modified configuration, theupper is completely open between such slits (e.g., having smallrectangular windows or openings) and the strap(s) are simply visiblethrough such openings. In such a modified configuration, the strap(s)preferably fixedly attach to one or more points on the interior of theupper's sidewalls.

Additional Considerations

In the event of any conflict or inconsistency between the disclosureexplicitly set forth herein or in the attached drawings, on the onehand, and any materials incorporated by reference herein, on the other,the present disclosure shall take precedence. In the event of anyconflict or inconsistency between the disclosures of any applications orpatents incorporated by reference herein, the disclosure having the mostrecent priority date shall take precedence.

Unless clearly indicated to the contrary, words such as “optimal”,“optimize”, “minimize”, “best”, as well as similar words and other wordsand suffixes denoting comparison, in the above discussion are not usedin their absolute sense. Instead, such terms ordinarily are intended tobe understood in light of any other potential constraints, such asuser-specified constraints and objectives, as well as cost andprocessing constraints.

Several different embodiments of the present invention are describedabove, with each such embodiment described as including certainfeatures. However, it is intended that the features described inconnection with the discussion of any single embodiment are not limitedto that embodiment but may be included and/or arranged in variouscombinations in any of the other embodiments as well, as will beunderstood by those skilled in the art.

In the discussions above, the words “include”, “includes”, “including”,and all other forms of the word should not be understood as limiting,but rather any specific items following such words should be understoodas being merely exemplary.

References herein to a “criterion”, “multiple criteria”, “condition”,“conditions” or similar words which are intended to trigger, limit,filter or otherwise affect processing steps, other actions, the subjectsof processing steps or actions, or any other activity or data, areintended to mean “one or more”, irrespective of whether the singular orthe plural form has been used. For instance, any criterion or conditioncan include any combination (e.g., Boolean combination) of actions,events and/or occurrences (i.e., a multi-part criterion or condition).

Similarly, in the discussion above, functionality sometimes is ascribedto a particular module or component. However, functionality generallymay be redistributed as desired among any different modules orcomponents, in some cases completely obviating the need for a particularcomponent or module and/or requiring the addition of new components ormodules. The precise distribution of functionality preferably is madeaccording to known engineering tradeoffs, with reference to the specificembodiment of the invention, as will be understood by those skilled inthe art.

Thus, although the present invention has been described in detail withregard to the exemplary embodiments thereof and accompanying drawings,it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousadaptations and modifications of the present invention may beaccomplished without departing from the spirit and the scope of theinvention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited to the preciseembodiments shown in the drawings and described above. Rather, it isintended that all such variations not departing from the spirit of theinvention be considered as within the scope thereof as limited solely bythe claims appended hereto.

1-12. (canceled)
 13. A shoe comprising: (a) a sole; (b) an upper,extending above the sole, that includes a front section, a left side, aright side, a rear section, and a tongue that originates from the frontsection and extends rearwardly between the left side and the right side;(c) a first segment of at least one elastic shoe lace, extending fromthe left side of the upper, over and across the tongue, and through afirst eyelet in the right side of the upper, thereafter hanging looselyalong an exterior surface of the right side of the upper; and (d) asecond segment of said at least one elastic shoe lace, extending fromthe right side of the upper, over and across the tongue, and through asecond eyelet in the left side of the upper, thereafter hanging looselyalong an exterior surface of the left side of the upper.
 14. A shoeaccording to claim 13, wherein said first segment is fixedly attached tothe upper near said first eyelet, and said second segment is fixedlyattached to the upper near said second eyelet.
 15. A shoe according toclaim 14, wherein said first segment is stitched to the upper near saidfirst eyelet, and said second segment is stitched to the upper near saidsecond eyelet.
 16. A shoe according to claim 14, wherein said firstsegment is fixedly attached to the upper just prior to exiting throughsaid first eyelet, and said second segment is fixedly attached to theupper near just prior to exiting through said second eyelet.
 17. A shoeaccording to claim 14, wherein said first segment is fixedly attached tothe upper near said first eyelet in a permanent manner, and said secondsegment is fixedly attached to the upper near said second eyelet in apermanent manner.
 18. A shoe according to claim 14, wherein said firstsegment is fixedly attached to the upper near said first eyelet onlywhen desired by a wearer but also can be slid relative to the upper whendesired by the wearer, and said second segment is fixedly attached tothe upper near said second eyelet only when desired by the wearer butalso can be slid relative to the upper when desired by the wearer.
 19. Ashoe according to claim 14, wherein said first segment is fixedlyattached to the upper near said first eyelet via a first clampingmechanism attached to the upper, and said second segment is fixedlyattached to the upper near said second eyelet via a second clampingmechanism attached to the upper.
 20. A shoe according to claim 19,wherein said first clamping mechanism is attached to the upper justoutside of the first eyelet, and said second clamping mechanism isattached to the upper just outside of the second eyelet.
 21. A shoeaccording to claim 19, wherein, by default, said first clampingmechanism clamps onto said first segment, and by default, said secondclamping mechanism clamps onto said second segment.
 22. A shoe accordingto claim 21, wherein by pressing a first spring-loaded release button onsaid first clamping mechanism, clamping force provided by said firstclamping mechanism is released so that said first segment can slidefreely, and by pressing a second spring-loaded release button on saidsecond clamping mechanism, clamping force provided by said secondclamping mechanism is released so that said second segment can slidefreely.
 23. A shoe according to claim 22, wherein said first segment iscapable of being pulled outwardly even when the clamping force is beingapplied by said first clamping mechanism, so that a user can tightensaid first segment simply by pulling on said first segment, and then canloosen said first segment by pressing said first spring-loaded releasebutton, and wherein said second segment is capable of being pulledoutwardly even when the clamping force is being applied by said secondclamping mechanism, so that a user can tighten said second segmentsimply by pulling on said second segment, and then can loosen saidsecond segment by pressing said second spring-loaded release button. 24.A shoe according to claim 23, wherein each of said first clampingmechanism and said second clamping mechanism has angled teeth.
 25. Ashoe according to claim 19, wherein each of said first clampingmechanism and said second clamping mechanism is attached to an interiorsurface of the upper.
 26. A shoe according to claim 25, wherein each ofsaid first clamping mechanism and said second clamping mechanism isattached to said interior surface of the upper above the tongue.
 27. Ashoe according to claim 13, wherein said first eyelet is part of a firstrow of eyelets on said right side of the upper, and said second eyeletis part of a second row of eyelets on said left side of the upper.
 28. Ashoe according to claim 27, wherein said first segment and said secondsegment are part of a single elastic shoe lace that is woven back andforth between said first row of eyelets and said second row of eyelets,such that said single elastic shoe lace crosses itself a plurality oftimes.
 29. A shoe according to claim 13, further comprising a firstclamping mechanism attached to the first segment outside of the firsteyelet and a second clamping mechanism attached to the second segmentoutside of the second eyelet.
 30. A shoe according to claim 29, whereinthe first clamping mechanism is held in place solely by forces exertedby the first segment and the exterior surface of the right side of theupper, and the second clamping mechanism is held in place solely byforces exerted by the second segment and the exterior surface of theleft side of the upper.